Skydrive directors Nigel Beale and daughter Mikaela Hurtubise, have announced the shock news that the company is to cease its business relationship with Rotax on December 3 this year. This will end a 33 year relationship with the Austrian engine manufacturer.

In an official statement the company says:

“It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that the business relationship between BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG (Rotax) and Skydrive Ltd (Skydrive) is coming to an end. Skydrive will cease to be the Rotax Aircraft Engine Distributor for the territory including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland and the Falkland Islands from 3rd December 2014. Rotax will be appointing a new distributor as from that date.

Skydrive would like to thank all their customers for their support over the last 33 years, and would like to wish every success to the new distributor once appointed.

Although we currently hold large stocks of engines and spare parts, we will obviously be running these down, to avoid being left with too much inventory when our distributorship ends. Therefore we ask all customers, and particularly aircraft manufacturers and kit suppliers, that they consider carefully their requirements and place orders by email to us at [email protected] as soon as possible, or via our online shop at www.skydrive.co.uk .

As Skydrive will remain the authorized BRP distributor until 3rd December 2014 we will until that date or as otherwise notified by Rotax handle any orders received. All engines currently in our stock, will be available for sale without date restriction until such time as they are sold based on the Rotax warranty - Terms and Conditions which are available on the Rotax website www.flyrotax.com .

If there are any engine and/or service related questions in the future (after the 3rd these should be dealt with directly through the new Distributor which will be announced by Rotax in due course. We suggest you contact them with your engine details as soon as their appointment is announced, to ensure that you do not miss out on any important bulletin. Skydrive will not continue to send bulletins out once our Distributorship finishes.

We hope to continue in the aviation business, so watch this space for new products and ideas, which will be coming soon!! Thank you once again for your support to us and our Company over the years.”

 

Like many businesses in sport and recreational aviation, Skydrive is a family business, headed by Nigel Beale. Nigel’s business relationship with Rotax started in 1981 as a result of his very successful involvement in hovercraft racing and development. In 1972 Nigel was the first person to cross the English Channel in a hovercraft, and he won more than a dozen National and European championships in craft in his own designed machines. Initially called Cyclone Hovercraft, the company name changed to Skydrive as servicing the microlight industry became the primary activity, Nigel leart to fly microlights in 1984 and continuing his winning ways as a member of the British Microlight Team.